Edwards Town Hall Highlights WNC Recovery Struggle Amid Shutdown and FEMA Delays
By Marge | Published 2025-10-22T15:22:13.872+00:00
News
WNC -- October 22, 2025: U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC 11) recently hosted a roundtable with local representatives to address the severe economic strain facing Western North Carolina (WNC), laying blame on a series of compounding disasters that threaten the region’s critical tourism industry.
Speaking after the event, Congressman Edwards encapsulated the mood of the region:"The biggest takeaway is that the tourism industry here in western North Carolina, that we are so dependent on, has taken a triple whammy; we went through COVID, we've gone through Hurricane Helene and now, unfortunately, we're experiencing a government shutdown.""The biggest issue is that we were struggling to recover and get our tourism industry back, even after Helene and now with the government shutdown, there'